Entering the job market after graduation can feel overwhelming, filled with unfamiliar terminology and rapidly changing technology. However, you possess valuable transferable skills gained through your experiences that employers seek.
What are transferable skills? Simply put, they are abilities developed in one area of your life that can be applied effectively to another. Consider your time as a student: Did you consistently meet assignment deadlines? Were you able to negotiate extensions when needed? Did you develop proficiency in typing and various computer programs? Did you balance a part-time job with your studies and social life?
If you answered yes to these questions, you’ve demonstrated skills like time management, negotiation, and effective communication. These may seem commonplace, but highlighting them on job applications is crucial. From the moment you were born, you’ve been acquiring skills, many of which you likely take for granted. Let’s change that!
Consider any role you’ve held, and let’s analyze the skills you developed. As a graduate, a significant portion of your life has been spent as a student, so we’ll use that as our primary example. Brainstorm the skills you honed during your school or student years.
Consider communication skills. You needed to effectively communicate knowledge to succeed as a student. How did you do this? Through writing essays, delivering presentations, leading discussions, answering questions, or composing a thesis. You may have created surveys, interviewed people, or written articles for publication. Reflect on each subject you studied and list the methods of communication you used, both oral and written, providing specific examples.
Teamwork is another essential skill. As a student, you likely participated in group projects, researched topics for presentations, collaborated on class newsletters, or engaged in community initiatives with classmates. If you’ve played team sports, you understand the dynamics of working collaboratively.
Furthermore, you’ve demonstrated the ability to work independently and take initiative. Much of your coursework required self-motivation and individual effort. How effectively did you manage your workload? Even if you didn’t enjoy it, you likely completed the tasks necessary. How did you use your initiative? Did you develop strategies for memorizing information? Did you generate original ideas to make your work stand out? Did you find employment that accommodated your studies and alleviated financial burdens?
Meeting deadlines is a critical skill. You undoubtedly faced numerous deadlines during your student years. Did you consistently meet them? While some may have resorted to last-minute efforts, most students manage to submit their work on time. And if you couldn’t, how successfully did you negotiate alternative solutions?
IT skills are indispensable. As a student, you’ve almost certainly used the internet, email, and word processing software. Your institution likely offered training in these areas and possibly in programs like PowerPoint and Excel. You may have also acquired additional skills, such as web design or programming, independently. Add these to your list.
Research skills are also vital. You conducted research for assignments and, if you attended university, for your thesis or dissertation. Document the methods you employed – online searches, specialized libraries, journals, interviews, questionnaires, case studies, etc.
Communication skills, teamwork, the ability to work independently, initiative, meeting deadlines, IT proficiency, and research skills are all highly valued by employers. Your task is to provide specific examples that demonstrate your proficiency in these areas. By using the information in this article to create your own list of concrete examples, you’ll significantly enhance your resume and interview performance.